Trevor desperately seeking owner

Lots of people wanted to save Trevor the dog, but nobody wants to live with him.

So, the troubled mutt has taken out a personals ad.

In December, the Humane Society of the Yukon started searching for a foster home for Trevor, who made national news this summer as “the dog on death row.” The society advertised on its website for the past month but didn’t find a suitable match for the German shepherd/Rottweiler cross.

This week, it decided to take out an ad in the newspaper.

“We’ve been trying everything,” said humane society director Rachel Westfall. “We’re doing everything we can think of to get the word out.”

In July, Trevor drew attention when activists launched a court case against the city to spare him from euthanization.

Found with a chain embedded in his neck, Trevor was rescued by the humane society and eventually adopted by a woman who gave the dog to her brother. Trevor bit and lunged at several people before being handed over to the city pound.

The dangerous dog is considered manageable as long as he’s kept in the right foster home, according to Shelley Breadner, a BC animal behavioural specialist who assessed Trevor in October.

The only problem is that the society can’t find a suitable home for him.

“It’s been a challenge,” said Westfall.

“There’s been lots of interest but the main challenge has been finding someone within city limits.”

Because of court restrictions, Trevor can’t be taken outside Whitehorse.

He also can’t be placed in a home that has cats, more than two adults or any children.

In its ad, the society suggests that the foster home should also have a securely fenced backyard and enough space to build a dog run.

Other dogs at the foster home are OK but could make the situation “more complicated,” said Westfall.

Not one person has contacted the humane society’s Mae Bachur shelter to inquire about Trevor since it began advertising for a foster home on its website, said shelter manager Tracy Smythe.

With its additional advertising efforts, the society hopes it will have found a suitable foster home by the end of the month.

That’s when the humane society will sit down with the city to set up a rehabilitation program for Trevor.

The program involves monthly check-ins with the foster home and sending video footage every couple months to Breadner so that she can assess his progress.

The vet will be looking for certain things, particularly territorial behaviour, said Westfall.

That kind of behaviour only begins to pop up after the dog has been housed for awhile.

“In the first couple weeks of being fostered, Trevor would behave just like a guest,” she said.

It’s only after that initial period that he would show territorial behaviour to people who showed up at the door, for instance.

After Trevor’s been fostered for six months, Breadner will travel to Whitehorse, at the expense of the humane society, to do a formal assessment of the dog.

It’s at that point that Breadner will be able to sign off on Trevor, a requirement imposed by the court, said Westfall.